Machine for gathering signatures.



No. 686,538. Patented Nov. l2, mm.

H. L. ROBERTS.

MACHINE FUR GATHERING SIGNATURES.

(Application filed Apr. 25, 1899.) (No Model.)

4 Sheets-Sheet l.

' m2 nokms PETERS co. wcrmjlma. WASNINGTON, n. c.

No. 686,538. Patented Nov. l2, I901.

H. L. ROBERTS. MACHINE FOB GATHERING SIGNATURES.

(Application filed Apr. 25, 1899.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

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"H: NORRIS PETERS co., PHOTO-LITHO. wksumsmm n. c.

No. 636,533. PatentedNov.-'I2, l90l.

H. L. ROBERTS. I

MACHINE FOR GATHERING SIGNATURES.

. (Application filed Apr. 25, 1899.) (No Model.)

4 sheets-sheet 3.

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m: Nonms PETERS co. PHOTO-LITHQ. WASHWGTDN, n. c.

Patented Nov. 12, I90l.

H. L. liosems. MAGHINE FOR GATHEBINGSJGNATUBES.

(Application filed Apr. 25, 1899.)

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4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

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UNITED STATES.

HORAoE L. ROBERTS,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MACHINE FOR GATHERING SIGNATURES.

srncrrxoarlon forming part of Letters Patent No. 686,538, dated November 12, 1901.

' Application filed April 25, 1899- To an whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE L. RORERTs, of New York city, county and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Gathering Signatures, of which the followingfis a specification.

This invention relates to a machine of the class which gather in proper order the signatures that collectively form a book or pam- The machine effectively separates the front signatures from the piles by means of suction-cups, to-which the signature adheres by simple pressure and without the use of any exhaust connection. These cups deliver the signatures to grippers that drop them upon a table. Along this table the signatures are moved by feed-fingers, which thus place them in proper order and conduct them to a second table, from which they may be removed by a slide. The machine works in a rapid and accurate manner and without puncturing or Otherwise injuring the paper.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the machine; Fig. 2, a

plan; Fig. 3, a section 'on line 3 3, Fig. 1; Fig. 4, a section on line 4 4, Fig. 1; Fig. 5, a section on line 5 5, Fig. 1; Fig. 6, a side view, partly insection, showing some of the working parts of the machine; Fig. 7, a section 011 line 7 7, Fig. 6; Fig. 8, a detail of the gripper and suction-cup; and Figs. 9 and 10 are sections through the gripper, showing it closed and opened.

The letter a represents the frame of the machine, upon which are arranged side by side a series of hoppers ct, each of which is designed to deliver one particular signature to the collecting mechanism. The hoppers a are placed, preferably, in an inclined position and are at the sides provided with guide-rails 0. In order to feed the signatures along the hoppers and toward the delivery end thereof, I employ endless tapes 1)., running over feedrollers 12, fast on shaft b and over adjustable idlers h The upper run of belt 1) projects through 'a slot a above the base-plate a of the hopper, and thus constitutes a movable support for the signatures A. The shaft is provided with ratchet-wheel b, which receives intermittent motion from power-shaft c, as follows: The shaft 0 turns by gearing c a cam-shaft 0 having cam 0 which rocks a lever 0 mounted on a rod 0 The lever c carries a'springactuated pawl 0 which slides Serial No. 714,359. (No model.)

over a plate c and is by said plate conducted into one of the teeth of the ratchet-wheel b. The plate 0 is adjustably secured to the machine-frame by a pin-and-slot connection, and

by setting it farther forward or backward the pawl iscaused to take one or more teeth of the ratchet-wheel b and thus change the length of feed of the tapes I), so as to adapt the machine to thicker or thinner signatures. The foremost signature A is engaged near the folded edge by a pair of suction-cups d and delivered by them to a gripper, which in turn transfers it to the collecting mechanism. The cups d are bell-shaped and flexible, being preferablycomposed of softrubber, so that when they are pressed with their open ends against the signature, some of the air will be expelled, and the signature will thus be held to the cups by atmospheric pressure. This air-pressure is sufficient to draw the front signature away from the pile and hold it to the cup during the travel of the latter. The cupsd are by bent spring-arms d mounted upon a rock-shaft (1 that receives motion from cam-shaft 0 by cam (i lever d, link d and crank-arm 01. Upon the rock shaft (1 are also mounted between the arms d a number of freely-rotatable corrugated soft-rubber rollers 6, against which the front signature A rests and which prevent the signature from being pushed upward by the Oscillation of the shaft (1 They also facilitate the withdrawal of the front signature, as they will be revolved by the signature as. the latter is drawn forward by the gripper.

The suction-cups (1 swing the forward sig o nature from an upright into an inclined position and into engagement with a gripper that draws the signature 0H the cups and drops it upon a table below-. The gripper is composed of a pair of jaws ff, of which the 5 jawf is by split collar f secured to a hollow and slotted shaft or sleeve f rocking in bearings f and embraced by a strap or frictionbrake f that holds it in place. The jawf' is pivoted within a slot of jawfby pin f and [O0 is connected to a rock shaft f rotatable within the hollow shaft f. To this shaft f are attached a lower fork or arm f and an upper slotted springf that project outwardly through the slot of shaft f and through the split collar f to engage a pin f of jawf. The fork f is arranged above the jaw f, so thatwhen the shaft f is rocked the fork will,

by bearing upon the jaw f, carry such jaw along and turn the hollow shaftf The jaw f is provided with a hookf which projects through a slot of jawf and which when the jaws are open to their maximum extent engages with its beak the upper side of jawf. Thus the hook prevents the jaws from opening too far, while it also prevents the signature from being pushed too far into the jaws. The rock-shaftf is operated from lever c by rack)" and pinion f,

The operation of the gripper is as follows; When the suction-cups are in their rearmost position, the gripper is in its lowermost position with the jaws open. The cups will now move forward to carry the separated signature along, and simultaneously the gripper will swing upward to engage the lower edge of such signature. During this upward motion of the gripper the rock-shaft)" will, by fork f jaw f, pinf and jawf, carry the hollow shaft f along against the friction of brake f. The jaws after closing upon the signature will descend to draw it oh? the cups, the hollow shaft f being carried along by the rock-shaft f through the pressure of the fork f against the jawf, so as to overcome the friction of brake f When in their lowermost position, the jaws again open to drop the signature upon the table, and then the cups move inward to draw the next signature off the pile. In order to bring all of the signatures back into their proper position upon the hopper after the foremost signature has been drawn 0E, I arrange a. number of curved guard-fingers g, (ora guard-plate,) which are mounted upon a rock-shaft g, that receives motion from earn 9 by lever 9 link g and crank-arm g These fingers when in their uppermost position bear with their free ends against the pile of signatures, and in rising will replace any displaced signature back upon the base-plate a. The motion of the rock-shaft g is so timed that the fingersg will move up to engage the pile after the foremost signature has been delivered by the cups to the gripper. Some of the fingers g are provided with spurs g, which enter the pile a short distance back of the front signatures and serve as an abutment for the same when the suction-cups are pressed inward. The gripper drops the separated signature upon an upper table h, having longitudinal slots h, through which extend a series of feed-fingers 71, arranged in pairs. This table is inclined downward from front to rear and is provided with a ledge at its rear or depressed edge, so

that the signatures after falling upon the table will tend to straighten out while being fed along the ledge. The fingers z are connected to a pair of endless chains t", running over sprocket-wheels 1' 1' The shaft 2' of wheels i is driven from power-shaft c by bevelwheels The fingers 2' push the signatures along the table h, so that they drop from the end of such table properly assembled upon a lower table j. Each set of assembled signatures is on table j engaged by a reciprocating slide it, that removes them from the table. The slide is is guided upon rail by a sleeve k and receives motion from a cam k fast on shaft 0 by lever 70 and link 76.

What I claim is 1. In a machine for gathering signatures, a series of hoppers placed side by side, a rockshaft in front of the hoppers, arms connected to the rock-shaft, elastic cups secured to the arms, and rollers revolubly mounted upon the shaft between the arms, substantially as specified.

2. In a machine for gathering signatures, a series of hoppers placed side by side, a rockshaft in front of the hoppers, elastic cups operatively connected to the rock-shaft, rollers revolubly mounted upon said shaft, grippers adapted to receive the signatures from the cups, and guard-fingers adapted to engage and replace the signatures,substantially as specified.

3. In a machine for gathering signatures, a series of hoppers placed side by side, a rockshaft in front of the hoppers, elastic cups operatively connected to the rock-shaft, rollers revolubly mounted upon said shaft, grippers adapted to receive the signatures from the cups, a table inclined from the front to the rear upon which the signatures are dropped by the grippers, and means for feeding the signatures along said table, substantially as specified.

4. In a machine for gathering signatures, a gripper composed of a rook-shaft, a surrounding slotted rotatable sleeve, a friction-brake engaging the sleeve, a slotted jaw secured to the sleeve, a second jaw having a pin and pivoted to the first jaw, and an arm that is attached to the rock-shaft and is adapted to bear upon the pin of the second jaw, substantially as specified.

5. In a machine for gathering signatures, a rock-shaft, a surrounding rotatable sleeve, a pair of pivotally-connected jaws, a split collar for connecting one of said jaws to the sleeve, and a forked arm for connecting the other of said jaws to the shaft, substantially as specified.

6. In a machine for gathering signatures, a gripper composed of a slotted jaw, a second jaw pivoted thereto, and a hook secured to the second jaw and projecting through the slotted jaw, the beak of the hook engaging the upper side of the slotted jaw, when the jaws are open to their maximum extent, substantially as specified.

7. In a machine for gathering signatures, a hopper combined with a movable curved guard adapted to engage the pile of signatures and having a spur which is adapted to enter the pile, substantially as specified.

HORACE L. ROBERTS.

Witnesses:

F. V. BRIEsEN, WILLIAM MILLER. 

